Former 6th round pick poised for breakout season with Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings have a hole at the third wide receiver spot on the depth chart behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison after K.J. Osborn departed this off-season for the New England Patriots.

The competition for the spot entering training camp was seemingly between veterans Brandon Powell and Trent Sherfield. However, another playmaker has positioned himself to impact the offense and potentially move up the depth chart.

Jalen Nailor was a sixth-round pick out of Michigan State in the 2022 NFL draft and has had a rocky start to his career. During his rookie season, the Vikings depth chart was crowded, with Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, K.J. Osborn, and Jalen Reagor all slotted ahead of the former Spartan, playing time was minimal and hard to come by.

Then, last season, Nailor got off to a hot start in training camp but battled nagging injuries dealing with hamstring and concussion issues that derailed his season. However, this season, the WR3 spot is up for grabs, and Nailor is making the most out of training camp with another strong showing.

He has built a strong rapport with rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy , who has connected with him for multiple touchdown passes, and Nailor looks as fast and healthy as he ever has. Nailor has also been seen rotating on punt return coverage early on in camp to allow him to be on the field more often this season.

Suppose the third-year wide receiver can stay healthy this season, and Nailor continues to showcase his upside as a receiver. In that case, he will be a significant part of Kevin O’Connell’s passing game moving forward. With the Vikings having an open competition for the third spot on the wide receiver depth chart, if Nailor continues to impress, he could beat out Powell and Sherfield for the role.